Balanced Rock

So far since we have been up in the Adirondacks,  the weather has been rainy, but yesterday we finally had a gorgeous day and we took advantage of it to enjoy our first hike of the season – up to Balanced Rock. We parked near the trailhead on the road and could see our destination – that bald faced area right in the center of this photo.

And here we go!

Adirondack hikes are very rocky and “boulder-y”. They always involve a lot of climbing.

Although I am not a lover of heights, I don’t usually mind them here. It’s a little bit of a mental thing. I have to just think about which route to take up, or down, and just do it. I can’t think about the fact that I am climbing up “such and such” feet. The only time it really bothers me when it is close to an edge with a wide open vista, but that doesn’t happen very often. Thankfully.

And then of course after climbing up an area, there is often the opportunity for a great shot!

There were several places on the hike where we had great views of the rock slides on Cascade. We did that one a couple years ago. That was actually Harry’s first high peak.

Of course the best part is getting to the top. We had to be careful as we walked around because there were some huge crevices. We would go to step over a “crack” and look down to see this huge drop! In this pic Harry is hanging his feet over the edge and there is about a 10 or more ft. drop there. That is why I am hanging on to him!!

Love this pic of me! Being on top of a mountain always makes me feel so alive. Like I’m just celebrating life!

Another of my favorite pictures from this hike!

After a nice break it was time to head down. Some of the climbing spots on the way up were a bit tricky on the way down. You have to take your time and choose your footing carefully. Our friend Bonnie got this great shot of my mother, Harry and me coming down one of the more challenging spots. Mom is going down and Harry and I are waiting our turn. (Bonnie also took the previous pic of me right before this one.)

And then we were past the climbing spots and into the woodsy walking parts. All in all the hike was a little over 3 miles. A really good distance for our first hike of our visit here. If the weather cooperates we hope to get another hike in tomorrow and then a high peak next week. Fingers crossed!